Spoilers for War of the Spark: Forsaken and later Magic story developments. The 2019 novel by Greg Weisman drew criticism for describing Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane’s love as platonic and saying Chandra had “never been into girls.” Many fans saw this as queer erasure: earlier stories had encouraged a romantic reading of Chandra and Nissa, even though they had not explicitly confirmed the pair as a couple. Wizards of the Coast and Weisman apologized, and later Magic stories reunited the characters romantically.
What did Forsaken say about Chandra and Nissa?
In the novel’s resolution, Chandra and Nissa acknowledge love for each other, but the narration frames that love as platonic. It also describes Chandra as having “never been into girls” and as usually being attracted to “brawny (and decidedly male)” men. Vice reproduced these disputed passages in its account of the controversy: Vice’s reporting on the novel and the response.
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The criticism was not simply that the book declined to make one particular pairing a couple. Its wording appeared to rule out Chandra’s attraction to women more broadly, while settling the meaning of a relationship that many readers had understood as developing romantically.
Had Chandra and Nissa already been confirmed as a couple?
No. Earlier official story material supported a romantic interpretation, but did not unambiguously establish that they were dating or mutually committed as a couple. In “Homesick,” for example, Chandra watches Nissa’s magic with a dazzled smile. That moment can read as romantic interest, but it is implication rather than confirmation: the official “Homesick” story.
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This distinction helps explain both sides of the continuity question. The relationship had been heavily implied and debated, rather than explicitly confirmed, as Vice noted. But many fans felt that Forsaken abruptly closed a romantic possibility the earlier stories had encouraged—and did so by making a broader statement about Chandra’s sexuality.
Why did readers criticize the book as queer erasure?
For readers who understood Chandra as queer and saw her connection with Nissa as part of that characterization, the “never been into girls” line seemed to undo both an identity and the emotional meaning of earlier scenes. Many fans criticized the treatment as queer erasure and as a reversal of the story’s buildup. That description identifies a criticism voiced by fans; it does not mean every reader interpreted the earlier material the same way.
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The controversy also landed amid wider expectations around inclusion in Magic: The Gathering. Vice covered the backlash in that context, but neither its reporting nor the sources cited here establish a representative survey or quantify what share of negative reactions concerned this issue rather than other objections to the novel.
How did Wizards of the Coast and Greg Weisman respond?
Wizards apologized on November 22, 2019
Wizards of the Coast said it had heard strong reactions to the novel’s resolution of the Nissa–Chandra relationship and apologized. The publisher also said it had not lived up to expectations it had created for Chandra, and that she could love and be involved with characters regardless of gender as her story continued. Vice reproduced the statement, including: “We didn’t live up to the expectations we created for Chandra and what she means to our fans.”
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Weisman apologized on November 25, 2019
Author Greg Weisman said he had been intrigued by the relationship in the preceding material and had wanted it to culminate in the War of the Spark books. He said Wizards did not plan to pursue the relationship, and that the collaborative editorial process with Wizards and Del Rey led to a published version that did not meet expectations or his intentions. Weisman’s account, as reproduced by Vice, describes his perspective; it does not establish every internal decision or assign sole responsibility to one person.
Vice reproduced both apologies and reported their dates in its coverage. For statements quoted there, see the article.
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Did later Magic stories change Chandra and Nissa’s relationship?
Yes. A later story development reunited Chandra and Nissa romantically: Wargamer’s 2023 retrospective reports that March of the Machine brought them back together and showed them kissing. That changed their later story status, but it does not erase what Forsaken said or why readers objected to it at the time: Wargamer’s retrospective on Chandra and Nissa.
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